The Eastern Cape Department of Health says it is advertising the CEO post for Livingstone Tertiary Hospital for the third time – seven years after Thulane Madonsela and his management were forced out of the job, reports Daily Maverick.
On 31 October 2018, the last permanent CEO at the Gqeberha hospital, Madonsela, was marched out of the hospital by unions who were unhappy about several issues. He and his entire management team were suspended pending an “investigation”, the results of which were never made public.
They were neither presented at the Bargaining Chamber nor at a subsequent review application in the Labour Court. The department also failed to hold a suspension hearing.
Madonsela was awarded six months’ salary as damages for the way he was treated by arbitrator Clarence Randal, sitting in the Bargaining Chamber.
The hospital has since had several acting CEOs. The first acting CEO resigned within a month.
The situation at the hospital deteriorated, and in 2021, Eastern Cape director of hospital services Mtandeki Xamlashe admitted that the hospital was failing.
In an interview with Daily Maverick, Xamlashe said that Livingstone had come close to folding, citing its vast underfunding (at the time, it operated a 1 000-bed facility with a budget meant for just 600 beds), collapsed facilities management and chronic staff shortages.
Eastern Cape Health spokesperson Siyanda Manana said the search for a CEO had been advertised three times since the departure of Madonsela, but they had been unable to fill the post for several reasons.
In 2023, he said, the applicants did not meet the minimum requirements for the post. Head-hunting was initiated through a recruitment agency, but again, candidates did not meet the minimum requirements.
Last year, three candidates were shortlisted. However, on the day of the interview, one declined to continue with the process. The department nullified that process due to the limited number of candidates to assess, Manana said.
Securing a CEO for Livingstone Hospital formed part of Eastern Cape MEC for Health Ntandokazi Capa’s promise to appoint permanent CEOs for all of the province’s major state hospitals by the end of her first six months.
Manana said the CEO search had continued this year. The position was advertised and interviews were conducted in May.
“The candidates were subjected to personnel suitability checks, i.e, competency assessments, pre-employment checks and verification of qualifications. The selection committee is considering the outcomes of personnel suitability checks. Once concluded, a recommendation for appointment will be made to the executive authority for consideration and approval.”
Meanwhile, the hospital is buckling under severe staff shortages.
In a document seen by Daily Maverick that was sent to the department in May, doctors complained that there had been no routine replacement of medical staff since February 2024. In April, 10 medical officers were appointed, but that still left 25% vacant posts.
The exodus of doctors from the facility was also highlighted by the DA’s Jane Cowley in June.
“In just two years, 74 doctors have left, including 41 medical officers, 15 registrars and 18 specialists. Those who remain shoulder an unbearable load, while patients wait in fear and pain.
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Still no CEOs for Eastern Cape hospitals
DA: Dramatically reduced budget leaves Livingstone Hospital hamstrung
No end in sight to year-long crisis at EC’s Livingstone Hospital